The Cage

by Brian Keene, Keith Minnion (Illustrator), Alan M. Clark (Illustrator)

In 'The Cage' (Novella Series #22), Brian Keene's tale begins as employees of Big Bill's Home Electronics wrap up their day. Suddenly, a gunman storms in, opening fire and leaving coworkers dead. Now, the remaining staff must evade being picked off one by one to survive the night and escape.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Short Stories, Novella, Ebooks, Anthologies, Science Fiction

104 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

BRIAN KEENE writes novels, comic books, short fiction, and occasional journalism for money. He is the author of over forty books, mostly in the horror, crime, and dark fantasy genres. His 2003 novel, The Rising, is often credited (along with Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead comic and Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later film) with inspiring pop culture’s current interest in zombies. Keene’s novels have been translated into German, Spanish, Polish, Italian, French, Taiwanese, and many more. In addition to his own original work, Keene has written for media properties such as Doctor Who, Hellboy, Masters of the Universe, and Superman.

Several of Keene’s novels have been developed for film, including Ghoul, The Ties That Bind, and Fast Zombies Suck. Several more are in-development or under option. Keene also serves as Executive Producer for the independent film studio Drunken Tentacle Productions.

Keene also oversees Maelstrom, his own small press publishing imprint specializing in collectible limited editions, via Thunderstorm Books.

Keene’s work has been praised in such diverse places as The New York Times, The History Channel, The Howard Stern Show, CNN.com, Publisher’s Weekly, Media Bistro, Fangoria Magazine, and Rue Morgue Magazine. He has won numerous awards and honors, including the World Horror 2014 Grand Master Award, two Bram Stoker Awards, and a recognition from Whiteman A.F.B. (home of the B-2 Stealth Bomber) for his outreach to U.S. troops serving both overseas and abroad. A prolific public speaker, Keene has delivered talks at conventions, college campuses, theaters, and inside Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in Langley, VA.

The father of two sons, Keene lives in rural Pennsylvania.

Reviews

[Jakob J. 🎃 · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I may workshop a novella that has been published for years, I’d like to suggest a title change. The Cage made me think that I was in for a gorier Fight Club scenario, and of which I was sort of hoping.

I think—because it matters to a well-established genre writer what I think—that a more suitable title, or at least what would have my symbolic synapses buzzing, would be The Signal. It would tie together the electronics store setting, the villain’s motivation, and the portentous noise permeating the imperiled men’s surroundings, rather than being named for the source of their confinement.

Aside from that, The Cage is a fairly tense, reasonably well-paced thriller that hints at the supernatural throughout (no surprise if in any way familiar with Keene’s mythos) with enough amusing banter between the characters to pace the story along.

Marriage Causes Cancer in Rats, on the other hand, is a perfectly titled short story. Harold is a vermin; a family annihilator too cowardly to take himself out as well. He is diagnosed with terminal, metastatic cancer and each of his tumors represent his misdeeds toward different people, leaving interpretational room for exploration regarding his hand tumors. This is a bizarre and satisfying tale of comeuppance body horror.

On the other, other hand, there is Lest Ye Become. The most I can say about it is that it is a tasteless depiction of a school shooting. (If you know my views on artistic expression, you know this is not a problem for me. We have many pioneers of poor taste to thank for all of the filth we enjoy today. Left, Right, Religious, Woke; down with censorship, now and forever). The thing about this story, however, is that it was written in 1997. Keene does not mention Columbine in the Story Notes he includes as addendum to this slim volume, but am I off-base in making a connection here? He cites Invasion of the Body Snatchers as the influence for this story, which is fair enough (and I see John Carpenter’s They Live here as well, especially seeing as the gun-wielding, paranoid maniac turns out to be correct), but this collection was compiled in 2011. Post-Sandy Hook or Parkland, I doubt this story would have seen the light of day. Keene himself does not regard this story with reverence, and neither do I, but it does inspire an interesting discussion.

The last of this quartet is a flash fiction piece which Cemetary Dance commissioned for a line of promotional t-shirts called Waiting for Darkness . It’s obtuse, but not unnerving enough to leave an impact.

All in all, not a Best of worthy collection from a genre giant I’ve long admired, but still entertaining and interesting enough.

[Misty Marie Harms · Rating 3 out of 5]

Big Bill's Home Electronics has been taken over by armed gunmen. One of them proclaims, "I need only six." The rest of the employees are dead within seconds. The six remaining are locked in a cage where big ticket items are locked up. One by one the hostages are taken through the employee door to never return.

This is one of four stories in the book. All very short, but excellent.

🐱🐱🐱

[Paul Nelson · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Cage begins with bloodshed and a gunman. An electrical department store just wrapping up for the day when, in walks the last customer. Unfortunately this guy's not laden with a fat wallet he is however possessing multiple firearms, knives, a fucking warped mind and intent to do what? Well that's what we're here to find out.
 
First off, he kills two of the staff and then proceeds to lock the others up in The Cage, the high value goods cage that is. He then turns all the TV's and Hi-fi equipment on, tuned to receive AM strangely enough and fetches the staff, one by one into the show room. We see the story through the eyes of those in the cage as the numbers decrease, panic, foreboding desperation and the inability to comprehend the true nature of this deluded psycho.
 
The Cage luckily enough is a fairly short story and I say luckily because it bored the fucking pants off me and then slapped me round the face with em just to be sure I knew I'd wasted two hours of my life and my wallet was six quid lighter. I think the only way this could have been improved was to give the perpetrator a viewpoint but no, it was all the guys in the cage and they just weren't very interesting. That and the pay-off not producing anything of real consequence left the whole thing feeling decidedly flat. I expected more from such a renowned author but that said I've still got more books from Brian Keene that I intend to get too soon, just a little bit disappointed with this one.

Also posted at http://paulnelson.booklikes.com/post/...

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those who haven't yet read Brian Keene's work, all I can say is...WTF is WRONG with you! But seriously, though, Keene is one of the most consistently great horror authors out there, and thanks to Deadite for teaming up and releasing several novels and novellas, all of them also available in digital. The Cage is a fast, gut-wrenching read about employees of Big Bill's Home Electronics who are taken hostage one night at closing by a gun-wielding "man in black." After murdering one employee and their boss, he locks the surviving six in the storage cage in the store's backroom...except to take them one at a time out into the store for a purpose unknown. And the strange and haunting throbbing sounds coming from the electronics, TV's, and stereos grows louder as their number dwindles, one at a time...

What Keene does best, I think, is accurately and with gritty realism portray characters that speak and act like we all would. From fears to poignant confessions of lost love to the knife-in-the-gut realization that you're probably going to die. The cosmic horror called Shtar, mentioned near the novella's conclusion, is one of Keene's growing mythology. Included in this edition are also three bonus stories, having appeared previously in out-of-print works.

[Eden Silverfox · Rating 4 out of 5]

The work day was to be over soon for the employees of Big Bill's Home Electronics. That is until a guy showed up with a gun and put them all in a cage in the back room. But, one by one they are taken by gunman and don't come back. Will any of them make it out alive?

I've wanted to read this since it was released a few years ago. Last Christmas, I got as a gift from my boyfriend. I'll be going to see Brian Keene next month and want to get this book signed so I decided it was as good as time as any to read it.

The Cage is short. it's only about 72 pages, the rest of the book has 3 other even shorter stories and notes from the author about each story. It's about employees that work at an electronics store. One night a guy shows up with a gun, saying he only needs 6. They think he is crazy. Who wouldn't, really?

Being short, the book goes right into the action and we're with the characters as each gets taken only to not return.

It's a good story and honestly left me wanting more. I liked the other 3 stories and author notes as well.

[Spencer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Cage is a pretty short book, the title story is a novella and this is followed up with three more very short stories. They're all enjoyable, inventive and a decent way to spend an evening. This isn't Keene's best work but it's still worth a read especially if you want something that's easy to get into.

[Donald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and sweet. It's hard to maintain tension in a story when all the action is happening off-screen and the characters are largely in the dark, but Keene pulls it off well. I think it helps that he kept the word count so low- any longer and he'd have to start offering backstory and expanding on certain aspects of what's already there. Keene is certainly capable of that, but I don't think he could come up with anything more horrible than what each reader's imagination provides.

[Timothy Mayer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Cage is a collection of 4 horror tales by writer Brian Keene. It’s not too long and can be read in one sitting. The first tale, for which the book anthology is named, is the longest. The final story is very brief and, as the author mentions, can fit on a t-shirt.

What made me grab this one was the lead story. A group of men are closing down an electronics store for the evening when in walks a psycho decked out in black. He’s carrying plenty of firepower. He orders everyone into “the cage”- a locked area sectioned off by a chain link fencein the back warehouse for the smaller, valuable items. Then he starts bringing them out one by one and doesn’t say why. When it becomes obvious those he takes out of the cage aren’t coming back, all kinds of tension results. It’s a grim tale. I worked at a major electronics dealer years ago and the kinds of people he describes ring true. And the action takes place not very far from where I write.

Here’s a sample:

“Big Bill had been legendary among home electronics salesmen in Pennsylvania and Maryland. Over the years, he’d worked in all the usual places—Rex, Circuit City, Best Buy, Sears, American Appliance, and all the others. He’d been there when satellite television was brand new. He’d been there when projection screens were the next big thing, and when they became archaic, giving way to plasma and liquid crystal display. He’d even been there when compact discs made cassettes as extinct as eight-track tapes and vinyl. Big Bill had seen it all. He knew the trends. He knew the technology. Most importantly, he knew what people wanted and he knew how to sell it to them.”

The next tale, “Marriage Causes Cancer In Rats”, is the best. Following on the theme of the previous story, a married electronics retail manager falls hard for a customer, but his family creates a complication. He devises a gruesome way to get them out of the picture. However, his plan has unintended repercussions. Bonus points for an original ending.

The third story, “Lest Ye Become”, is a shooting rampage chiller. Original and topical for these dark times.

This is a good introduction to the writer. I just wish there had been more stories in the collection. “The Cage” is long, but might’ve made a good novel.

[Adam Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, it appears that Brian Keene is dancing with the stars, five of them to be exact. Yes, the Cage is awesome and yes, that first sentence was embarrassingly lame.

Anyway, Keene's novels tend to fall into two categories: amazing or terrible. Thankfully, there are a hell of a lot more amazing ones than terrible and The Cage falls

into the former group. Like so many other great Keene reads, The Cage has a great plot. This is what makes so many of Keene's books great. His writing style is nothing

special, his characters are interesting but usually only just, but his plots are the equivalent of an adicting drug that does nothing dangerous to your health. This one

reminded me a lot of the film Reservoir Dogs because of the strong dialog which drives the story. As the title would suggest, the novella takes place almost exclusively

in one small place and, if Keene had chosen to use his dialog from novels like Castaways or Kill Whitey, this story would have fallen into the terrible category. I

loved everything here. The story had an unknown quality to it and by that I mean that the reader probably won't know why the things are happening. On top of that, the

characters are easy to sympathize with and are not annoying in the least bit. And then, Keene gives us a Langoliers-style ticking clock to contend with until the

tention and suspense are fighting each other for your attention. Even the ending, abrupt as it may be, was flawless in my opinion. The story was short and I can't say

much more about it without going into the plot (which I of course hate doing in a review) so I will just tell you to go pick it up for yourself. If you don't like it it

is at least short, but I think most horror fans will enjoy it and, like me, will instantly crave more. Despite his very occasional bad book, Brian Keene still firmly

claims the spot of my fifth-favorite author. Since he is behind Bentley Little, Richard Laymon, Dean Koontz, and Stephen King, this is a great compliment coming from me

and he has a very good chance of moving up one spot if Bentley Little doesn't start being unique again.

[Ms. Nikki · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not for me. A bunch of guys were pretty much held hostage in the back of an electronics store inside a cage where items are held. We don't know what the man holding them hostage wants, but the guys get tidbits of info. While they were being held hostage the fellas turned into a bunch of chatty Cathy's which is a pet peeve of mine. Too much talky. It really took away from the supposed tension in the story: who is he?, what does he want?, oh, my god, we're gonna die. The ending? Meh.
Just an alright read ~

[Farrah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Its SO-SO

This was my first time reading this author. I know he's wildly popular so I must have just chosen the wrong book of his to start off with. This story didnt have much to offer. The characters were boring and inconsistent. The ending was silly.

[Gef · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won a copy of this book from Kevin Lucia, and finally got around to reading it just as it's been re-released by another publisher.

In the back of an independent electronics store, Big Bill's Home Electronics, there is a cage. A lot of these stores have a cage, I guess, where they keep the little expensive items like iPhones and cameras and tablets and such. It ain't much, but the cage is apparently big enough to hold six employees prisoner with a psychopath armed to the teeth waltzes into the store at the end of the day and takes the employees hostage. A cramped little prison for these six men to stew and guess why this stone-faced lunatic targeted their store, why he doesn't seem interested in robbing them, and why he's dragging them out of the cage one by one and not bringing them back.

The plot is as simple as the title, and with Brian Keene's ability to create some pretty deranged villains, you're left as bewildered and imprisoned as the victims. The story unfolds through the eyes of Jeff, one of the guys who has been working at Big Bill's for a while and has seen it all when it comes to the business. With him in the cage are Jared, Scott, Roy, Clint, and Carlos. All of them shell-shocked to some degree after seeing a coworker's head blown off and their boss meeting a similar fate, then forced to empty their pockets and file into the mesh-wire cage in the warehouse. The gunman says he "only needs six," which initially has the guys thinking he's talking about a cash amount, but then realize they're the six. And when the guy starts dropping hints about what he's there to do, they figure they need to get out of that cage before he kills them all.

This is one of those stories that keeps you engaged as much with the mystery and tension from the villain as it does with the relationships and emotions that unfold between the six men. These guys aren't heroes and precious few of them are out to be when push comes to shove. I mean, if you've ever had one of those weekday grinds and all you want to do is go home, have a beer, and try not to think about all the depressing shit in your life, the last thing you need is a guy with a shotgun and machete making your uneventful life flash before your eyes. And you definitely don't want to be the guy who has to keep everyone else's heads on straight when their worlds come crashing down, too.

There's definitely a rawness to the writing here, an unvarnished, unwavering style that puts you in the cage with these guys. The scope of Brian Keene's vision may have expanded through his novels, but a sharply-focused slice of horror like this shows he can scare the daylights out of you when he's only got a few pages to do it. I believe Deadite Press has re-published this story as part of a collection, so I may have to look that up. In the meantime, I may have to pass this along to someone who wants to spend a night in The Cage.

[James Meeks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've just recently become a fan of Brian Keene. Yes, indeed I have been living under that proverbial rock, though I have found many other compatriots under there who have not had the chance to enjoy many of the limited editions out there that thankfully are being reprinting. I may still be under there feeding on worms and dry dirt, but Deadite came around and with a whack of awesome cover art by Alan M. Clark, I started buying them up.

Boy oh boy was I in for a treat! Being a long time Laymon fan, Keene's writing reminds me very much of this late great writer. Though the man has a voice of his own and a distinct mythos of his own.

And here I am now having just finished reading the latest Deadite release of this out of print novella that was a blast to read. I didn't bother reading any synopsis or other reviews for the Cemetery Dance edition and went into the novella having no idea what it was about, all I had was another gorgeous cover by Mr. Clark to get an idea of what might be hiding in the pages.

At first I thought I was reading a variant on the Laymon/Lee/Ketchum collection Triage as it starts with a bang...literally...a lone gunman dressed in black barges his way into the lives of eight employees of Big Bills Electronics. As the novella progresses I found how wrong my initial assumptions were. Which I will not spoil for anyone.

One thing I really enjoy about the novella experience as that they can be read in one sitting, allowing the story to unfold in real time. Making me at least feel like I'm right there suffering with the characters. And they do suffer!

Extremely fast paced novella, full of mounting tension and mystery (the mystery being what the hell is the gun man up to; as he drops a few cryptic hints along the way, and out of left field the answer comes in the last few pages.) This is edge of your seat writing that hits like the full blast of sawed off shot-gun, full of claustrophobic terror. Seriously, in my humble opinion there is nothing more scary then being stuck somewhere with no chance of escape. And this one is evilly devised, ughhhh! Stuck in a cage! And you can see the damn exit sign.

Fans of Keene who have never had the chance to read this, don't wait get yourself a copy! People who have never bargained their money on a blind buy don't hesitate! Lucky for the reading masses Keene is no hack writer, he writes with style, excellent pacing and each story he writes displays the craft of a true story teller. Bonuses with this recent release. Three extra rare short stories; "Marriage Causes Cancer in Rats", "Lest Ye Become", and "Waiting for Darkness" Plus Keene gives some notes at the end of each tale letting the reader know how the stories came about and original publications they came from.

A must buy!

[Иван Величков · Rating 4 out of 5]

Кратка книжка от една новела и три разказа.

The Cage - Четвъртък вечер, точно преди да затворят магазина за електроника, служителите се сблъскват с въоръжен психопат, който застрелва двама и затваря останалите в клетката за по-ценна стока. Няма геройства и мелодрами. Смотаните застаряващи продавачи споделят пластмасовите си скучни истории, докато биват отвеждани от похитителя един по един. Единственото нещо за което стават е да са безлични жертвоприношения.
Средна история, с няколко сюжетни неточности и без изненади.

Marrige Causes Cancer to Rats - Това е нещо друго. Колко далече може да стигне психо-соматичното желание за самонаказание? Колкото е голямо престъплението, а при Кийн до потресаващи размери.

Least Ye Become - Много кратък наситен разказ за въоръжено насилие в гимназия, само дето тук жертвите са някак странни.

Waiting for Darkness - Разказ написан за да се събере на тениска. Чудесен! Детска игра на плажа неочаквано прераства в нещо друго.

Четвъртата звездичка се добави, заради наистина хубавите кратки истории. Новелата не е толкова добра, но има два плюса:
+ При Кийн никога няма щастливи завършеци.
+ Ново попълнение в разрастващата се демонична митология на автора - Щар.

[Victoria Timpanaro · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Cage is a tight little story with believable characters and lots of suspense. Just like the characters, the reader doesn't know what is happening to them. You get wrapped up in their situation and are trying to solve their riddle too. Keene makes you wait to the very end when all is revealed. A good read paired with a trio of long out of print grisly tales from the early days of Keene's career.

[Matthew Vaughn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only started reading Brian Keene’s work just as his relationship with Dorchester dissolved. What I read was what my brother had and a couple books my wife bought for me over the internet. A little while back he started a relationship with Deadite Press, and for fans like me this is exactly what we needed. They have been reprinting not only Brian’s mass market novels but stories that had originally only appeared in rare limited editions. So now I and so many others can easily get our hands on books and stories that diehard fans may have been dreaming about for years. Sometimes it pays to be late to the party.

The Cage intrigued me from the first time I read the premise of it. One night while closing down the electronics store a madman comes through the door. Brandishing guns and not afraid to use them, he ushers the employees into the back and locks them in a cage. This is the cage that the title refers to, it’s the area where they keep the small and expensive items. Much like the movies Phone Booth or the original Saw, the majority of this Novella takes place in this small area. One by one the intruder takes the employees to the front of the store, leaving whoever is still in the cage oblivious to his plans.
It’s best to know up front that this is a short novella, and it is not heavy on the action. One of Brian Keene’s main strengths is his characters and how he has the ability to make them interesting and real. That talent is showcased well here, with the characters being confined to this small area, wondering what is happening in the front of the store.

Besides the main story here there are three short stories included in this book, Marriage Causes Cancer In Rats, Lest Ye Become, and Waiting For Darkness. All have been previously published but like the main story, unavailable for awhile, until now. Following each of these is a few words from the author regarding how he came about writing these stories.

Overall I enjoyed this book, the main story has become one of my favorites from Keene. I would recommend it to anyone that is already a fan of his, or looking for a story to check out his work.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

For fans of Brian Keene this is likely to be one of those books you've been waiting a while for. Before Deadite Press released this edition it had only been released in a limited edition hardback and on a collection called Conspiracy of One - both of which are out of print and only available on the likes of e-bay for larger sums of money.[return][return]As the book description says it follows a group of electronic store employees who are locked in a storage cage in the warehouse whilst a madman goes to work at the front of the shop. He then takes the employees out to the front one at a time leaving the remaining hostages to wonder what is really going on. With a good chunk of the book taking place in the warehouse it follows the reactions of the remaining members and how they interact with each other and deal with what is happening. It also leave both them and the reader to wonder what the madman has in store for them. [return][return]Fans of Keene's previous works will enjoys the links this has with the mythos which features in his others works whilst not being too confusing for anyone who has never read a Keene book before.[return][return]Whilst the book could of happily been released on it's own both Deadite and Brian Keene have added 3 bonus short stories called “Marriage Causes Cancer In Rats,” “Lest Ye Become,” and “Waiting For Darkness” - these have been released before but are now out of print so it is good to see them being added to give readers better value and to give fans more access to his other works.[return][return]The book is a good read for fans of both Keene and horror and it's good to see his work being made more accessible so I highly recommend you add this to your books collection.

[Mike Kazmierczak · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE CAGE is a tense story that covers a very stressful situation. Keene infuses the story with good characters and a naturalness that enables the readers to be trapped along with the characters.

The story follows the employees of Big Bill's Home Electronics as they are taken hostage. The bad guy walked in right at closing time and at gunpoint forced the eight employees into the back storeroom. Proclaiming that he only needs six of them, he then locks them in a security cage so that he can do Something up front.

With regards to the action that occurs in the story, there is not a ton more than my summary above. But, as I also mentioned the story stays tense and stressful the whole way through. I felt for these characters as they faced their challenges and mystery. However, at the same time, it was easy to feel swindled by the book. At 101 pages, it is a significant size that you expect a full story. The ending though makes it abundantly clear that there is a lot more story to be told. A lot! This is one chapter in Keene's Labyrinth: a promised multi-volume epic, the story behind how all of his books tie together into one multiverse. THE CAGE could viewed as a prologue into the epic. Or maybe it would be better to consider it as an extra scene that enriches the total story, sort of like the post-credit scene in many Marvel movies. No matter how you look at it though, fans will consider this a significant puzzle piece of the Labyrinth. New readers should go to THE RISING so that they may be properly indoctrinated and become a Keene fan.

[Jonathan Echevarria · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Cage is one of Brian Keene's best novellas. While it only runs at 70 pages and five short chapters, it does come with bonus short stories to make up for the affordable price tag. It is definitely worth the price of admission especially when you consider how fun the scenario is. I've seen live action movies attempt this plot over and over again, I've never once seen it succeed this well before.

If you read Brian Keene's Earthworm Gods II: Deluge or Tequila's Sunrise you will absolutely love this novella. It carries a lot of his interesting labyrinth mythology in it. References to The Thirteen and The Black Lodge are apparent if you have been paying close attention to his other novels. As someone who has been following Brian's work for a long time I give this masterpiece of horror a five out of five stars.



If you want to read more of Brian Keene's ongoing mythology I totally recommend those books!

[Stevie Tee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brian Keene never disappoints. As a long term fan, I keep expecting him to, but he hasn’t. The Cage thickens mythos that is the rich overlapping story arc that revolves around “The Thirteen”. The story starts as abruptly as a shotgun robbery of an electronics store. No wait, it does start out abruptly, with a shotgun robbery of an electronics store. The employees are all locked in the warehouse storage fence (the cage), and the horror begins. Brian Keene has grown very much as a writer, putting much more of a psychological aspect to his horror than I remember reading before. This is grade A stuff, and I can only look forward to what will come in the future. There are also three reprints of older, now out of print, short stories, which new readers should be happy to not have to pay second hand market prices for.

[Mehmet · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main story of this was great, I really enjoyed the plot, it was thoughtful and very suspenseful. Much like Kill Whitey which it hinted toward it was about the blue collar worker and Brian Keene knows how to relate and portray them, most likely because that what he truly is at heart. The ending did shock me made a link to his labyrinth mythos which is always fun to put into perspective. What was best about the story was his character development, for such a short story I felt like I really worked with the group and was truly sad at their situation. The three other short stories were also fun to read and very shocking, especially the one todo with Cancer. Highly recommended to new and old Brian Keene fans or just horror fans in general.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of Brian Keene. I read everything he writes and waited for this one to be available in e-book. Plot-wise, a stranger enters a high end electronics shop and takes the workers hostage, locking them in "the cage" in the warehouse. Taking them out one by one and leading each one to an undisclosed fate, the stranger leaves the panic-stricken remainders to wonder what will happen to them when they are chosen. Tense. Very realistic. Keene is a master of portraying people under stress. I wasn't entirely happy with the ending but that may be just me. I felt that it seemed like a part of another, larger story that isn't told.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. Great use of suspense. Characters easy to identify with (large number to keep track of for a novella, but execution...uhh...made it easier). Writing/dialog was crisp. Ending was vague, kinda dumb, a let-down. Still, not a bad way to spend an hour or two.

[Hexsyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read The Cage in hardback back in Jan '11. This is for the short story "Lest Ye Become" the short to contained in the Deadite Press paperback.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was not good at all

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some authors I know would have tried to make this book into a 600 page novel. As it is, Brian Keene kept it short and to the point, making it a very nice read.

[Yvonne (go.for.a.walk.chuma) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eine bedrückende, emotionsgeladene Novelle

Eigentlich sollte es für die Angestellten von »Big Bill's Home Electronics« ein Tag wie jeder andere sein, doch gerade als der Laden schließt, spaziert ein ganz in schwarz gekleideter und schwer bewaffneter Mann seelenruhig durch die Tür. Er fackelt nicht lange und für zwei der unglücklichen Männer wird es so ein endgültiger Feierabend. Die übrigen sechs Angestellten bringt der Killer ganz ungerührt und ohne jede Erklärung ins Lager und sperrt sie dort in einem Käfig für gesicherte Ware ein. Für die Männer beginnt das bange Warten, ein Martyrium ohne Ausweg, das von Verzweiflung, Angst und Hoffnung geprägt ist. Es bleibt die Frage, was der Mann in Schwarz mit ihnen vor hat und warum immer seltsamere Geräusche aus dem Verkaufsraum dringen? Werden sie die Nacht überleben?

Mit dieser Novelle stellt Brian Keene einmal mehr sein Können unter Beweis. Auf knapp 77 Seiten (in der limitierten Hardcoveredition) hält er ein durchweg hohes Spannungsniveau aufrecht und schafft starke Emotionen. Es ist eine wahre Gefühlsachterbahn, die die Opfer (und mit ihnen der Leser) hier durchleben, bzw. durchleiden. Eingesperrt, zum Nichtstun verdammt, wissen sie nicht, was sie erwartet. Von zunächst optimistisch, dass es sich womöglich nur um einen Raubüberfall handeln könnte, bis hin zu blanker Verzweiflung und Todesangst ist die gesamte Gefühlspalette abgedeckt. Die Männer sind ganz gewöhnliche Menschen, keine Helden, und so überfordert sie die Situation völlig. Bei dem einen zeigt sich das in Agonie, beim anderen in Wut und Kampfeslust und das wahre Gesicht eines jeden einzelnen offenbart sich letztlich.

Die Charakterzeichnung kommt leider ein wenig zu kurz, die sechs Männer sind nur grob skizziert und somit austauschbar, ihre Emotionen hingegen sind authentisch und werden sehr gut transportiert. Der Nervenkitzel schwingt beim Lesen stets mit, eine bis zuletzt mörderisch spannende Lektüre, weil man absolut nicht absehen kann, wie diese Tortur ausgehen könnte. Lediglich ein banges Gefühl, dass es wohl kein gutes Ende nehmen kann, stellt sich ein – und selbst da bleibt immer noch ein Hoffnungsschimmer. Etwas, das der Leser wohl mit den Figuren dieser Geschichte gemein hat.

Fazit
Ein gelungener Pageturner in gewohnter Keene-Manier, der mit starken Emotionen punktet und von der ersten bis zur letzten Seite für Hochspannung sorgt.

[Elusive · Rating 2 out of 5]

'The Cage' comprises one main story (which shares the name of the book title) and three short stories. In 'The Cage', the employees of an electronics store are about to close up for the day but the arrival of an armed man changes everything. As they are locked in a cage, they ponder ways to escape. Will these weaponless, clueless men be able to survive?

The premise for this story was undoubtedly unoriginal but the execution could have made the difference. Unfortunately, there was nothing creative, exciting or unpredictable about it. None of the characters were likeable or had presence. Therefore, it was hard to care about whether any of them would make it out alive. They were either whiny or emotional and basically didn't even try to get out of the cage. Apparently it's better to spend precious time talking and / or bickering about pointless matters.

Meanwhile, the perpetrator was boring in his own robotic way. He was calm and detached yet the author failed to convince me that he's downright dangerous and threatening. He had a bunch of weapons - big deal. The only thing that kept me reading was curiosity regarding his motive. The ending was such a disappointment as it seemed to focus on shocking the reader, rather than having a strong build-up via a life-or-death showdown scene, for example. The story had a lot of potential but ultimately didn't deliver.

The other short stories were simply awful. They were more like rambles than actual, properly written tales. Overall, 'The Cage' was boring hence thankfully, it's a short book.

[Uptown Horror Reviews · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Cage was a decent short-story, but it wasnt anything to write home about. The characters were decent and the suspense/horror elements were good, but I was expecting way more of a payoff at the end and I thought we would get more backstory on Simon and Shtar. Once it was revealed that the antagonists name was Simon, I got excited - assuming that he was the same Simon from "Earthworm Gods: Deluge", but we get NO explanation on who this guy was, how he came into contact with Shtar and what Shtar would do once he was summoned onto this world. This is one of the few Brian Keene books where I wasnt awestruck and amazed once it was over, but I guess you cant knock them all out the park. On to the next for me though...

[Daniel Volpe · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title story was a good tale of cosmic horror. The action was well dispersed and dialogue was relevant. The fear the men felt was well portrayed and realistic. The other few stories were decent, but not as strong as the title one. Another quick read from deadite that's worth your time.